Scottish Executive

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4666 by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 February 2002, whether it plans to award funding for research into the causes of autism on the same basis that funding have been awarded by Her Majesty’s Government.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no such plans. The £2.5 million additional funding for research into the causes of autism, announced recently by the Minister of State at the Department of Health, was awarded to the Medical Research Council to conduct research into autism throughout the UK. The research findings, when available, will inform the policies and clinical practices of NHSScotland.

Boundary Walls

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15753 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 July 2001, whether it supports the use by the Scottish Law Commission in paragraph 1.5 of its Report on Boundary Division Walls (footnote 7) of the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia (Volume 18, paragraph 223) to justify the commission's opinion that the law on March Fence Type Divisions had been changed from ownership "pro-indiviso" to ownership to mid-line only ("ad medium filum") when at the time of publication of this encyclopaedia in 1993 the commission itself (a) had in a letter to Mr David Lambie MP in October 1990 stated that research commissioned by itself had shown that case law on the subject was confused, consisting of essentially two lines of decision which cannot be satisfactorily reconciled, (b) had issued in June 1992 a consultation paper on Mutual Boundary Walls which confirmed this confusion in this aspect of the law but suggested that holding as "pro-indiviso" common property should be confirmed and asking inter alia whether legislation to clarify and settle the matter was required, (c) stated that the matter was still open and under consideration, including the consultee responses, when the Encyclopaedia was published in 1993 and (d) issued in December 1990, a discussion paper (No. 91) on the law of the tenement in which the proposals supported the use of "pro-indiviso" common property for walls dividing property ownership, which in the commission’s own words ‘met with general support from consultees’.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the statement in the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia (Volume 18, paragraph 223) that "the modern law is not now in doubt"; whether, at the time of the encyclopaedia's publication, the Scottish Law Commission was expressing and demonstrating that doubt existed and was promoting a view in direct conflict with this statement and whether the author of this paragraph was aware of the commission’s position at the time.

Mr Jim Wallace: It would not be appropriate for the Executive to comment on the detailed considerations taken into account by the Scottish Law Commission in the preparation of its reports. I can confirm, however, that the Executive agrees the conclusions of the commission’s report on boundary walls.

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information programmes are in operation to give advice to students about eating disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23216 on 11 March 2002.

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many males with (a) anorexia nervosa and (b) bulimia the NHS in Scotland has treated in the last 12 months.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the number of males treated in an acute general hospital, mental illness hospital or psychiatric unit between July 2000 and June 2001:

  

 

Anorexia Nervosa 
  

Bulimia 
  



Male patients 
  

7 
  

4 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR01/04.

  Provisional.

  A sample of general practitioner consultations, produces figures which are too low to allow a meaningful, robust national estimate of those treated by primary care services.

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it costs to train a nurse in the specialist treatment and care of patients with eating disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: Costs will vary. However, the estimated cost of training a pre-registration mental health nursing student is around £30,000. To train a community psychiatric nurse can add a further £21,000.

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with eating disorders are currently being treated as in-patients in Tayside.

Malcolm Chisholm: The numbers of patients are very low (under five) and to provide the exact figure could allow them to be identified, which would breach their right to patient confidentiality.

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS boards have specialist eating disorder services.

Malcolm Chisholm: Throughout Scotland, people suffering from eating disorders are diagnosed and treated by general psychiatrists. In addition, specialist services have been established in Lanarkshire, Lothian, Highland and Grampian. These services range from specialist eating disorder teams to single nurse specialist posts. Some of the specialist services are available to residents of other NHS board areas.

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps is it taking to promote the recommendations in the  Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland to develop treatment protocols, clear referral pathways and a pattern of specialist in-patient provision for the treatment of sufferers of eating disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: Specific guidance offering agencies a template for change and improvement in the provision and organisation of services, promotion, prevention and care was published in October last year.

  The visiting Mental Health and Well Being Support Group has also announced that eating disorders will feature for particular attention, with other topics, in their second round review of the strategic approach to change and improvement in mental health services by the care agencies.

  The outcome reports of progress made in each case, are published within four weeks of each visit and are available on the support group's website at: www.show.scot.nhs.uk/mhwbsg .

Eating Disorders

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by NHS boards serving remote and rural areas in the use of telemedicine, email, internet and CD-ROM based treatments for people with eating disorders as referred to in the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland .

Malcolm Chisholm: The published guidance on the best organisation of eating disorder services invites agencies to explore all mediums that can offer improved access to services and advice.

  A teleconferencing link is already established between the Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen and Lerwick Health Centre, with validated positive results for patients and therapists for all conditions including eating disorders. The Grampian Eating Disorder Service has also piloted the use of teleconferencing for people with eating disorders from Aberdeen, Peterhead and Fraserburgh.

  The Scottish Telemedicine Action Forum has recently funded a project designed to further extend the existing specialist psychological therapies for eating disorders service to the whole of the Grampian area.

  More generally, the Remote and Rural Area Resource Initiative has been established to advise and help with more effective means of delivering care in rural and remote areas of Scotland.

Environment

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it is undertaking, in relation to the River Clyde, into (a) the condition of the river embankments, (b) flood management, (c) the use of the river and (d) the safety of the people who use the river.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has not commissioned any studies in connection with the River Clyde. Studies of the kind referred to in the question are matters for the riparian owners and other landowners, developers, local authorities and local bodies, not the Executive.

  We have, however, commissioned research into climate change impacts that may be relevant to interests on the River Clyde, the reports of which are available on the Executive’s website: www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange .

  The Executive is aware that the City of Glasgow Council is undertaking studies on flood risk associated with the River Clyde and officials are keeping in touch with developments.

  Regarding studies on the use of the river, various studies are being undertaken by the River Clyde Working Group (RCWG). This group was established in November 2001 after the Minister for Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning, convened a meeting of all public and private sector partners with an interest in regeneration of the Clyde. The RCWG studies cover the section of the Clyde between Glasgow Green and Erskine Bridge and are:

  a strategic benchmarking, market assessment and economic impact study;

  a collation of the existing technical and engineering studies;

  an assessment of the potential for water based transport, and

  an assessment of prospects for attracting European funding.

Environment

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the effectiveness of dredging and cleaning operations in the River Clyde.

Lewis Macdonald: Monitoring of the effectiveness of dredging and cleaning operations in the River Clyde is a matter for Clydeport, as harbour authority, under the relevant statutory provisions.

Environment

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to enforce effective dredging and cleaning of the River Clyde.

Lewis Macdonald: The statutory powers for dredging and related cleaning operations of the River Clyde are the responsibility of Clydeport, as harbour authority. The statutory powers in the Clyde Port Authority Confirmation Act 1965 do not provide for any specific enforcement role for the Scottish ministers.

Environment

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken in order to meet the aims and objectives outlined in The Nature of Scotland - A Policy Statement .

Allan Wilson: The Executive has been developing the detail of the policy contained in The Nature of Scotland with the assistance of the Expert Working Group on Site of Special Scientific Interest Reform and the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime. We will publish a draft nature conservation bill, based on the proposals contained in The Nature of Scotland as soon as possible.

  Some of the policies contained in The Nature of Scotland, which do not require new legislation, are already being implemented. Scottish Natural Heritage has, for example, launched its Natural Care programme which aims to bring an additional 25% of the Site of Special Scientific Interest series into assured management by 2007-08.

  The Executive has also recently announced a number of new measures to combat wildlife crime including action against illegal trade in wildlife and poisoning of wildlife.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fishing vessel owners to date have accepted decommissioning funds; how many vessels these funds applied to; how many vessels have been subsequently scrapped, and in what location these vessels were scrapped.

Ross Finnie: As of 4 March, the owners of 80 fishing vessels have accepted decommissioning grant offers under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001, out of 102 vessels currently subject to grant offers. Of these vessels, 70 have submitted, and had approved, plans to begin the decommissioning process. Nine vessels have been scrapped so far: four in Scotland, two in England, two in Northern Ireland and one in Denmark.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the level of benefit paid to patients in long stay hospitals.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive has not made any representations to the UK Government regarding the level of benefit paid to patients in long stay hospitals.

Higher Education

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the level of public funding for higher education is adequate.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The level of funding provided to the sector by the Executive has risen by 20% from £551 million in 1997-98 to £660 in 2001-02. This does not include additional funding allocated for newly designated institutions of UHI Millennium Institute, Open University and Bell College of Technology and additional funding for research which will take the total allocation for 2001-02 to £710 million. Including allocations for new institutions, the total funding available in 2003-04 will be £732 million.

  This does not include funding for the provision of higher education courses in further education colleges. The Scottish Further Education funding council does not allocate funds separately for higher education and further education provision.

  Since the beginning of the Parliament, expenditure on student support via the Student Awards Agency for Scotland has risen by 6% from £297 million in 1999-2000 to £316 million in 2001-02. By 2003-04 this is expected to rise to £343 million, a rise of over 15% in this five-year period.

Hospices

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase funding for (a) children’s hospices and (b) hospices.

Malcolm Chisholm: The responsibility for funding palliative care and respite care lies with NHS boards and local authorities. The Executive provides some core funding for voluntary organisations which run hospices. We have no plans to change existing arrangements.

  However, we are aware that the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) is planning to build a second children’s hospice in Scotland. I place a very high value on CHAS’ work at Rachel House, its existing hospice. I propose to make an award of grant to support this new development. I will make a contribution of £500,000 to the capital costs of the new hospice and provide additional grant of £250,000 per annum to support its first two years, when it is up and running.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether measures are being taken to identify prior to admission patients who are most at risk from hospital-acquired infections.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies are being proposed to provide support to patients with hospital-acquired infections to enable early discharge into the community.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether more isolation facilities are being used for patients with hospital-acquired infections in order to stop "hot-bedding" and the consequent spreading of such infections.

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether adequate investment has taken place to ensure quick diagnosis of hospital-acquired infections.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS hospitals are required to implement the guidance in the Scottish Infection Manual (1998) . This makes clear that:

  where the potential for the spread of infection may pose exceptional difficulties, hospitals should develop and adhere to appropriate infection control policies to reduce the risk to particularly vulnerable patients;

  suitable arrangements should be established for the admission, transfer and discharge of patients with infection, including liaison with the medical and nursing staff responsible for the care of patients during admission and after discharge or transfer, and

  hospitals are required to provide suitable accommodation for the clinical care of patients with healthcare associated infection.

  Trust chief executives are responsible for ensuring that effective arrangements for infection control are in place, including adequate clinical facilities and staff, microbiological resources, infection control teams and occupational health service.

  To ensure that hospitals are addressing healthcare associated infection effectively, the Executive requested the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland (CSBS) to introduce a new infection control standard. The CSBS will shortly provide an interim report on hospitals’ performance against this standard.

Justice

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22094 by Mr Jim Wallace on 18 February 2002, when it will publish a bill containing a comprehensive overhaul of the diligence and debt recovery system.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive intends to publish a consultation paper in April, which makes proposals for reform of the law of diligence. After analysis of the responses to the consultation, the Executive will consider how and when to proceed with a bill. The paper does not consider the humane and effective replacement for poinding and warrant sale which is the subject of a separate bill that will be put before Parliament shortly.

Legal Aid

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring the Scottish Legal Aid Board carries out on legal aid applications by people from ethnic minorities.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Legal Aid Board, at present, does not hold information on the ethnicity of applicants. Applications for advice and assistance are monitored by gender only and this is reported in the board’s annual report.

  As a public body, under the recently laid Race Relations Act 1976 (Statutory Duties) (Scotland) Order 2002, the board will be required to publish a race equality scheme setting out how they intend to fulfil their duties under the order. All bodies have until 30 November 2002 to comply with the order.

Mental Health

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in implementing the recommendations of its Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Group regarding the proposed "fit for purpose" network of services.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Mental Health and Well Being Support Group continues its visits to the relevant agencies in each area and publishes a report on the progress made in each case, in implementing the  Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland modernisation agenda.

  Each report now includes an overall summary which assesses the stage reached on individual components of a good fit for purpose mental health service. For example, an assessment of the local approach to eating disorder and psychological interventions services are included. These reports are available on the support group's website at: www.show.scot.nhs.uk/mhwbsg .

NHS Funding

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its press release SE4015/2001 on 19 September 2001, how many NHS trusts have had their financial deficits written off; how much was written off; when the deficits were written off, and who authorised the writing off of each deficit, broken down by NHS trust.

Malcolm Chisholm: Susan Deacon announced on 19 September 2001, an allocation of an additional £90 million for the NHS in Scotland. Using these resources, seven trusts had their financial deficits written off in this financial year (2001-02).

  The following amounts were applied against the cumulative deficits of NHS trusts:

  

 

£000 
  



Argyll & Clyde Acute 
  

3,035 
  



Renfrewshire & Inverclyde PCT 
  

1,077 
  



Grampian Acute 
  

4,914 
  



North Glasgow Acute 
  

9,491 
  



South Glasgow Acute 
  

4,092 
  



Highland Acute 
  

2,744 
  



Tayside Acute 
  

15,852 
  



Total 
  

41,205

National Health Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will work with the Central Legal Office of the National Health Service in Scotland to undertake a fully researched mediation project mirroring that being undertaken by the National Health Service Litigation Authority in England and as recommended in paragraph 2.14 of the report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Encouraging Resolution: Mediating Patient/Health Service Disputes in Scotland .

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give active consideration to encouraging "NHS Education for Scotland", in partnership with all interested stakeholders, to promote mediation training and awareness in the workforce, as recommended in paragraph 2.21 of the report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Encouraging Resolution: Mediating Patient/Health Service Disputes in Scotland .

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote education through undergraduate training in medicine, nursing and professions allied to medicine with relevant institutions incorporating the role and process of mediation within their core curricula, as recommended in paragraph 2.21 of the report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Encouraging Resolution: Mediating Patient/Health Service Disputes in Scotland .

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in its current review of the NHS complaints procedure, it will consider mediation as being an integral option in the process of resolving non-medical negligence disputes, as recommended in the report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Encouraging Resolution: Mediating Patient/Health Service Disputes in Scotland .

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish a medical disputes forum, comprising relevant stakeholders to consider, develop and implement quality standards relevant to mediating medical negligence (and non-clinical in a clinical context) disputes, as recommended in paragraph 2.31 of the report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Encouraging Resolution: Mediating Patient/Health Service Disputes in Scotland .

Malcolm Chisholm: I welcome the publication of this Report by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The Scottish Executive will consider the recommendations in the report very carefully and will take its findings into consideration in the on-going review of the NHS complaints procedure and in the work of the expert group being established to look at the compensation system.

National Parks

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will appoint members of the board of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and when elections will take place for the elected positions on the board.

Allan Wilson: The draft Designation Order, lodged in Parliament on 24 February, sets 27 June 2002 as the date of poll for direct elections to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority. Applications have already been sought from people interested in being appointed directly to the authority, and nominations from local authorities for appointment will be sought shortly. All these appointments will be finalised shortly after the outcome of the elections is known.

National Parks

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE5424/2002 of 28 February 2002, what funding it will provide to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2006-07.

Allan Wilson: The level of funding to be allocated to the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park in future years will be determined as part of the spending review undertaken by the Scottish Executive. The period covered in the forthcoming review runs from 2003-04 until 2005-06.

Nursing

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has implemented any of the recommendations contained in the Accounts Commission for Scotland's report Temporary Measures - Managing Bank and Agency Nursing Staff .

Malcolm Chisholm: The majority of the recommendations in the Accounts Commission Report are for NHSScotland employers to take forward. The Scottish Executive Health Department has, however, been fully supportive of the report's recommendations and has written on two occasions, the last as recently as 7 February this year, to all NHSScotland Trusts and Island Health Boards, reminding them that they should be adopting the Accounts Commission Report recommendations when employing a bank or agency nurse. In addition, it asked the Information Services Division of the Common Services Agency to collect data on bank and agency nurse activity, including expenditure and grades of staff employees and the first year’s data can be viewed on the SHOW website at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/NHSiS_resource/workforce/workforce_statistics.htm .

Organ Retention

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many parents are currently waiting for information regarding the removal of organs from their deceased children without written consent.

Malcolm Chisholm: Each trust has nominated a dedicated member of staff to act as the initial contact point for parents and other relatives wishing to obtain information about organ retention. Trusts are encouraged to deal with inquiries as promptly and sensitively as possible.

  The Executive does not hold information on the number of requests awaiting a response at any given time.

Planning

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much in legal fees it has incurred in preparing a defence against the appeal by Ayr United Football Club concerning the club’s stadium planning application.

Ms Margaret Curran: The information requested is not yet available, but once counsel's accounts are submitted, I shall write to the member with the necessary details and place a copy of my letter in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Planning

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of any legal expenses incurred by Heritage Scotland Ltd it will be liable for in respect of the appeal by Ayr United Football Club concerning the club’s stadium planning application.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive will be liable for all of Heritage Scotland Ltd's legal expenses incurred (as taxed) up to and including the By Order hearing stage.

Planning

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines there are to regulate any circumstances in which a local authority may retrospectively alter conditions attached to a planning consent in favour of a developer.

Ms Margaret Curran: Section 33 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (the 1997 act) allows a planning authority to grant planning permission for development carried out, without complying with some condition attached to the original planning permission. Where a planning permission of this sort is granted, it can take effect retrospectively from the date the development was carried out.

  Section 64 of the 1997 act, empowers a planning authority to vary a grant of planning permission, in circumstances where they take the view that the variation sought by the grantee is not material. It is not possible for such variation to have retrospective effect i.e. the statutory provision does not enable the variation to be effective in respect of the period prior to it being made. Under section 42 of the 1997 act, a developer may seek planning permission to develop land, without complying with conditions attached to a previous planning permission. The planning authority can refuse such an application, grant it subject to new conditions replacing those attached to the previous permission, or grant it unconditionally. Any planning permission granted under this provision cannot have retrospective effect.

  Section 65 of the 1997 act, allows planning authorities to promote orders modifying planning permission, where they consider it expedient to so do (i.e. not in response to a request from the developer) and where the development proposal has not been completed or the proposed change of use has not taken place. Again the relevant statutory provision precludes such orders having retrospective effect.

  The Executive’s Development Department Circular 4/1998 contains guidance on the use of conditions and the mechanisms in sections 33 and 42 of the 1997 act. It is available on the Executive’s website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/planning.

Planning

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it would expect a local authority to undertake when it is considering retrospectively altering conditions attached to a planning consent in favour of a developer and to the detriment of local businesses or local communities.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23495 today, regarding the different procedures for amending planning permissions and the circumstances in which they apply.

  The procedures in relation to sections 33 and 42 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (the 1997 Act) involve planning applications, and the normal statutory requirements for public consultation, including neighbour notification, consultation with community councils and, where appropriate, advertising apply.

  In relation to the power in section 64 of the 1997 act, no planning application is required, and therefore none of the statutory consultation procedures which apply to planning applications would apply.

  Where the planning authority decides that it wants to promote an order under section 65 of the 1997 act, they must serve notice on the owner of the land affected, the lessee and the occupier of the land affected and any other person who in their opinion will be affected by the order. Those upon whom a notice has been served may request an opportunity to appear before, and be heard by, a person appointed by the Scottish ministers before the order is confirmed or confirmed subject to modifications.

  The Executive is currently engaged in a consultation exercise on public involvement in the planning system, including public consultation on planning applications. The consultation paper, entitled Getting Involved in Planning, is available on the Executive’s website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/planning. The consultation period closes on 31 March.

Police

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers from Strathclyde Police additional to those normally deployed have been deployed to police the perimeter of the Faslane Naval Base in each of the past 12 months; who requested their deployment, and for what reasons.

Mr Jim Wallace: Strathclyde Police officers do not routinely police the perimeter of Faslane Naval Base. This normally falls to the Ministry of Defence Police. Officers from Strathclyde Police are only engaged in such duties when there are large anti-nuclear demonstrations at the base.

  The number of Strathclyde Police officers deployed at the four major anti-nuclear demonstrations at Faslane Naval Base since the start of 2001 has not exceeded 880 officers for any one event.

  Deployment by the local Divisional Commander has been for the purpose of minimising disruption to naval base staff, the local community and ensuring the maintenance of public order. The level of deployment of police officers at each demonstration has been commensurate with the number of demonstrators.

Public Services

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10883 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 16 January 2001, what progress has been made in the delivery of online public services; whether it supports the delivery of such services through post offices and sub-post offices; whether the appropriate equipment will be provided to every sub-post office to enable them to deliver such services, and what other options are being considered for the delivery of online public services.

Allan Wilson: Our modernising agenda is about improving choice in the way services are delivered. The Scottish Executive is therefore committed to a multi-channel approach for the delivery of online public services and is continuing to explore a variety of platforms, including the use of interactive digital television, public kiosks, Personal Digital Assistants, the internet and WAP phones.

  As part of this, the Scottish Executive is paying close attention to the development of the Your Guide pilot project in Post Offices in Leicestershire and Rutland. Arrangements have been made for ministers and officials from the Scottish Executive to see the project first hand. The pilot will of course have to be comprehensively evaluated to assess the case for national roll out. In particular those organisations wishing to use Your Guide will need to examine carefully how a national service could fit in with their wider service delivery plans, how far it could help in achieving greater efficiencies and whether it would provide value for money compared with alternative direct channels to the public. Until these evaluations are complete, it would be premature to discuss details such as responsibility for the provision of equipment. I can assure you, however, that the Scottish Executive is examining this project and its potential implications for Scotland with great care and that we are committed to finding ways to achieve citizen-centred public service delivery.

  As regards progress in the delivery of online public services, the Electronic Service Delivery Progress Report, published on 16 November 2001, details the services provided by the Scottish Executive, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. That report shows that 66% of services are now available online, though the majority of these relate to the provision of information. The second Electronic Service Delivery Progress Report is currently being prepared and will be published shortly.

Rail Network

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22010 by Lewis Macdonald on 25 February 2002, whether the British Railways (No.3) Order Confirmation Act 1994 will be amended or repealed to allow the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive to complete the Larkhall to Milngavie rail link.

Lewis Macdonald: The amendment or repeal of the British Railways (No.3) Order Confirmation Act 1994 is not a matter for the Scottish Executive. This is a reserved issue and involves private legislation procedures.

  In terms of the Larkhall-Milngavie rail link itself, as my previous reply made clear, we are pressing Railtrack and the Strategic Rail Authority to keep the project moving.

Recycling

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been taken to implement Article 5 of the European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC requiring member states to encourage re-use systems of packaging which can be re-used in an environmentally sound manner.

Ross Finnie: Article 5 of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive makes a packaging re-use option available to member states which the United Kingdom has not expressly adopted. However, companies with a packaging recovery obligation under The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 can reduce their obligation, and the cost of their compliance, by using re-usable forms of packaging. This therefore offers an encouragement to businesses, to operate re-use systems.

Recycling

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been taken to implement Article 7 of the European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC requiring member states to take the necessary measures to ensure that systems are set up to provide for (a) the return and/or collection of used packaging and/or packaging waste from the consumer, other final user, or from the waste stream in order to channel it to the most appropriate waste management alternatives and (b) the re-use or recovery, including recycling, of the packaging and/or packaging waste collected.

Ross Finnie: The Directive on Packaging Waste Directive has been implemented in Great Britain by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended).

  The regulations require businesses which manufacture or use packaging materials or products, to recover and recycle certain volumes of packaging waste, calculated by the amount of packaging handled by the business. Such businesses can reduce their recovery obligation by using less packaging and by re-using packaging whenever possible. The more re-usable packaging a company uses, the less is its packaging recovery obligation and the lower are its consequent compliance costs.

Recycling

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to Article 6 of European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC, what its current targets are for the percentage of packaging waste to be recovered and recycled.

Ross Finnie: The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2000 set a recovery target of 56% and a recycling target of 18% for 2001 and beyond. These targets apply to companies with a turnover of over £2 million and which produce or use more than 50 tonnes of packaging materials or products per year. The Executive and UK Government have consulted on increasing these targets for 2002 and beyond and are currently considering what the appropriate level should be.

Rural Development

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development last met.

Ross Finnie: The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development (the current name for the former Ministerial Committee on Rural Development) last met on 5 February 2002.

Rural Development

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development will next meet and what subjects will be on its agenda.

Ross Finnie: The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development will next meet in May. It will discuss issues that impact on Rural Development in Scotland.

Student Finance

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Student Awards Agency for Scotland has had its budget reduced by £141.7 million as detailed in Scotland’s Budget Documents 2002-03 .

Mr Andy Kerr: The main reasons detailing the reduction in the budget of the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, amounting to £141.7 million, is set out in the following paragraphs. However, as all adjustments are being made in Annually Managed Expenditure, the amount available to SAAS for student loan purposes has not been reduced as a result of these technical accounting adjustments:

  The increase in the provision for bad debts, amounting to £104.8 million, has been removed as being no longer required. The amount provided for in the existing Student Loan subsidy budget is now considered sufficient.

  Capital charges have been reduced by £50.4 million. As these have been taken into account in estimating the existing Student Loan subsidy, there is no need to make further provision.

  These adjustments amount to a reduction of £155.2 million. Together with various other upward adjustments within the Student Awards budget, the net effect is a reduction of £141.7 million.

Water Authority

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current daily water consumption is of water from Balmore water treatment plant and Milngavie water treatment plant and by how much this will increase following completion of the proposed new Milngavie water treatment plant.

Ross Finnie: I have asked the Chief Executive of West of Scotland Water to respond. His response is as follows:

  The current consumption of water at Balmore water treatment works is approximately 220 megalitres per day. The consumption of water at Milngavie water treatment works is approximately 400 megalitres per day.

  The capacity of the Balmore works is approximately 350 megalitres per day. With a leakage reduction of approximately 20 megalitres, this means that 150 megalitres will be available to the Glasgow network. The proposed new water treatment works at Milngavie has been designed to provide 240 megalitres per day based on a leakage reduction for the Glasgow area of 43 megalitres per day.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that no lead piping is used in the supply of water in homes or business premises.

Ross Finnie: There are no lead water mains in Scotland and lead plumbing has not been used since the 1960’s. Internal lead plumbing is confined to properties constructed before 1964 although the use of lead supply pipes (the underground pipes connecting properties to the water main in the street) continued until as late as 1971 in some parts of Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive has instructed the Scottish water authorities to undertake a survey of water supply zones across Scotland, to determine areas where there is likely to be non-compliance with the tighter lead standard being set by the EC from December 2003. As lead does not normally occur naturally in water, any areas of non-compliance detected are likely to be as a result of lead plumbing or lead supply pipes.

  To ensure compliance with the lead standard, the water authorities will be installing water treatment in areas identified as likely to fail to meet the new standard. In addition, where the water authorities identify the presence of lead plumbing in a particular property, they will advise the owner and/or occupier of remedial action that they can take. As part of their water mains renewal programmes, the water authorities are also replacing any lengths of lead supply pipe that are found to be in their ownership.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been treated by the NHS for lead poisoning as a result of consuming water delivered by lead pipes in domestic premises in the last 25 years, broken down by local authority area and year.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the number of people who may suffer from minor ailments caused by a higher than normal dose of lead as a result of being supplied with water through lead pipes or through pipes which contain lead solder.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) domestic and (b) business premises are supplied with water from (i) lead pipes within the building, (ii) lead pipes between the building and the public supply and (iii) pipes affected by lead solder.

Ross Finnie: There is no accurate data on the number of properties that have internal lead pipes or lead pipes connecting the property to the public water supply. Similarly, the number of properties with copper pipes with lead solder joints is not known.

  The use of lead plumbing within buildings ceased in 1964 and the use of lead pipes to connect buildings to the public supply largely stopped around this time, although it is known to have carried on in some areas of Scotland until 1971. Based on these facts, a broad estimate on the extent of lead plumbing in domestic properties was contained in the 1994 annual report on Drinking Water Quality in Scotland. The 1994 report estimated that, at that time, around 589,000 domestic properties in Scotland still had lead plumbing.

  Lead solder joints in copper plumbing were legal until 1987, but the illegal use of lead solder joints in copper plumbing was recently discovered on a number of new housing developments across Scotland.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities it makes available to the public for water from domestic premises to be checked for the presence of lead free of charge.

Ross Finnie: If a customer is concerned that they may be at risk from lead in their drinking water, as a result of lead plumbing, the water authority will test their supply on request and free of charge. A similar service is available from the local authority environmental health department.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to undertake a public information campaign on the danger of excess lead in domestic water supplies which may be caused by lead piping in the home or lead piping joining the home to the public water supply.

Malcolm Chisholm: In December 2000 a public information initiative, combining press advertising and an information leaflet, highlighted the simple precautions which could be taken to minimise any harmful effects of lead in water. The leaflet remains available to the public.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it makes available to local authorities and housing associations to replace lead water piping or water pipes affected by lead solder in housing stock owned or managed by such bodies.

Iain Gray: No such allocations are made by the Scottish Executive. It is for local authorities and Registered Social Landlords to decide how best to deploy the resources available to them to meet housing need, including the replacement of lead piping.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the cost of eliminating all lead water piping or water pipe affected by lead solder from domestic or commercial premises.

Ross Finnie: As indicated in the answer given to question S1W-23228 today, there is no accurate data on the number of properties that have internal lead pipes or lead pipes connecting the property to the public water supply. Consequently, there is no reliable estimate of the cost of eliminating all lead water pipes.

  The report Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 1994 did suggest that the cost of replacement of all domestic lead plumbing would, at that time, be around £480 million. However, if the replacement was restricted to pipes directly supplying drinking water, the report suggests a cost of £280 million. However, the 1994 report did stress that these costs must be treated with some caution.

  The number of properties with copper pipes with lead solder joints is not known and no cost estimate has been made regarding their replacement.

Water Supply

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available to private house owners or owners of business premises to allow them to replace lead water piping or water pipes affected by lead solder.

Ms Margaret Curran: Local authorities have discretion to pay repair grants towards the cost of replacing lead plumbing in private sector houses. This also applies to business premises which share plumbing with such houses, where the premises are subject to a repair notice. The amount of grant payable is dependent on the grant applicant’s resources. Grant is not normally payable in respect of a house less than 10 years old.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Interns

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what the reasons are for delay in providing security clearance and security passes for interns from the United States of America currently working for SNP members.

Sir David Steel: As part of the Parliament’s security vetting policy, checks are carried out with the relevant foreign authorities on all applicants who are foreign nationals or who have lived abroad for a period during the previous five years. Under normal circumstances, the clearance of such applicants takes on average five weeks: the average for UK resident applicants is two weeks.

  The terrorist attacks of 11 September resulted in increased demands on the resources of the USA authorities and low priority was given to vetting enquiries. Clearance times increased to an average of 16 weeks, which meant that the interns who commenced in September 2001 had finished their assignment before clearance had been received. As a result of measures set up with Edinburgh University, which arranges the internships, together with easing pressures on the USA authorities, the average clearance time for the most recent intake of interns is currently eight weeks, with the majority being cleared within six weeks.

Interns

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what the average length of time is for which an intern from the United States of America waits for a security pass, broken down by the political party of the members to whom they are assigned.

Sir David Steel: In order to minimise the overall time taken, the vetting process normally starts before interns are assigned to party groups and a formal application for a security pass received. There are currently 12 USA interns working in the Parliament, of whom nine have been security cleared. The average time that those who have been cleared waited for a security pass, broken down by political party, is:

  


Party 
  

No. of Interns 
  

Average Time 
  



Labour 
  

4 
  

5 weeks 
  



Scottish National Party* 
  

1 
  

4 weeks 
  



Liberal Democrat* 
  

1 
  

6 weeks 
  



Conservative 
  

3 
  

5 weeks 
  



  *The Security Office continues to hasten the clearance of the remaining three interns. (SNP - 2, Lib/Dem - 1).